Eutelsat has ordered “multiple launches” from MaiaSpace to deploy a portion of the 440 new OneWeb satellites. Launches are scheduled from late 2027 to 2029.

MaiaSpace was founded in 2022 as a wholly owned subsidiary of ArianeGroup. The company is developing a two-stage, partially reusable launch vehicle called Maia, designed to deliver up to 4,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit when flown in its expendable configuration with the optional ‘kick’ stage.

On January 15th, MaiaSpace announced that it had secured a multi-launch agreement with Eutelsat to deliver satellites for its OneWeb constellation to low Earth orbit. The agreement has the potential to account for “the majority of [the] Maia launch manifest during the first three years of operation.”

“This agreement with an experienced and renowned satellite operator confirms that Maia is well-suited for deploying or replenishing satellite broadband constellations,” commented MaiaSpace CEO Yohann Leroy. “In the aftermath of the ESA ministerial conference, where key decisions were taken on the European Launcher Challenge and access to the European institutional market, MaiaSpace already stands on the two pillars needed for economic viability: being competitive on the commercial market while [being] considered strategic for Europe’s sovereign access to space.”

Currently, MaiaSpace is working toward an inaugural flight of its Maia rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana before the end of this year. Maia is targeting a launch cadence of up to 20 missions per year from its French Guiana launch site by the start of the next decade.

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Categories: Articles, Satellite

Tags: eutelsat, OneWeb